Something you will likely hear a lot is that cauliflower, beets, brussel spouts and I have had a very sorted past. In fact, it is only until the last few years that I’ve opened my options to these peculiar vegetables, and I am SO glad I did! Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes, but it’s very heavy and doesn’t offer many nutritional benefits, so I started adding cauliflower. Wow! Not only does the cauliflower contain a similar texture to the potato, it is an incredible source of Vitamins C, K, B6 and potassium. Next time you’re craving mashed potatoes, give this version a whirl.

Ingredients

• 2 skinned Yukon potatoes
• 1/2 bag frozen cauliflower
• 1 tbs salt
• 4 cups water
• 2 tbs butter
• 1-2 minced cloves of garlic
• 1/4 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1/4 cup parmesan (who am I kidding, I definitely used 1/2 cup)
• Salt to taste

Directions

Slice potatoes into large chunks and add to potted water. Sprinkle in the tbs of salt and bring to a boil for 15-20 minutes. As the potatoes begin to soften, add the frozen cauliflower flowerets to the water. Cauliflower doesn’t take nearly as long as potatoes, so this way you’ve saved yourself some cleaning and unnecessary pot babysitting.

Once the cauliflower has softened and can be easily cut with a fork, strain the excess water from the pot, and turn the burner to low. Use a fork to whip the potatoes and cauliflower into a mashed mixture. Stir in butter, garlic clove and slowly stream in the whipping cream. Keep an eye on the texture – you may not need all of the cream, depending on how well whipped you want the final product. Add in the parmesan.

Taste test time! The salt from the water and parmesan may be enough for those sensitive to flavoring, but often times you’ll need a little more at this point. I ended up adding another tablespoon of salt and parmesan to hit the salt point I wanted.

All done! I used this as the base to my Pesto and Sausage-Stuffed Chicken, and it was lovely.

Pesto and Sausage-Stuffed Chicken